Stereotypes about minorities' 'anti-school attitude' not valid
12/10/02 - Minority students are no less eager and ambitious to learn than white students - and part of the answer to closing the achievement gap between white and minority students could depend on how well teachers understand how to take advantage of this fact.
A survey of 40,000 middle and high school students by the Minority Student Achievement Network found that nine out of 10 black, Hispanic, and Asian students say their friends think it is "important" or "very important" to "study hard to get good grades" - the same rate as white students. The network is a national consortium of racially diverse, suburban school districts that collaborate on research.
"These findings don't support the stereotypes about the effort and motivation of minority students," says Ronald Ferguson, a professor at Harvard University's John F. Kennedy School of Government, who analyzed the survey results.
Undermining the stereotype that an "anti-school attitude" is prevalent among minority students, the survey found that minorities were actually more likely to say their friends thought it was "very important" to study hard. For example, 51 percent of black male students say so, compared to only 33 percent of white males.
The number of students who report peer pressure against academic achievement was comparatively low among all student racial groups.
Twenty-two percent of Hispanic students agree with the statement that "my friends make fun of people who try to do really well in school," compared to 17 percent of black and Asian students and 13 percent of white students.
Ferguson emphasizes that the findings focus on students in suburban school systems with relatively affluent and racially diverse student populations. He cautioned against assumptions that the findings are applicable to poor, urban settings.
Still, the survey results indicate that social dynamics within a school - and not just socioeconomic factors - play an important role in determining student achievement, he says. And how educators respond to that fact will affect their ability to reduce the academic achievement gap between white and minority students.
For example, the survey indicates that teacher expectations have a significant impact on students. White students were almost twice as likely as black students (29 percent versus 16 percent) to cite "teacher demands" as a reason to "work really hard" in school. But three times as many blacks and twice as many Hispanics report that "teacher encouragement" is most inspiring.
"This justifies putting more attention to the relationships between teachers and students," Ferguson says.
The survey reports that minority students spend just as much time doing homework as white students. Yet, black and Hispanic students are less likely than white students to finish their homework. Ferguson says that finding has implications for teachers who equate homework completion with effort.
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| Reproduced with permission from the Dec. 10, 2002, issue of School Board News. Copyright © 2002, National School Boards Association. Opinions expressed in this newspaper do not necessarily reflect positions of NSBA. This article may be printed out and photocopied for individual or educational use, provided this copyright notice appears on each copy. This article may not be otherwise transmitted or reproduced in print or electronic form without the consent of the Publisher. For more information, call (703) 838-6789. |